


A Little Less Conversation

by NatesDate



Category: Spooks | MI-5
Genre: Co-workers, Drinking, F/M, Humor, Romance, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-22
Updated: 2014-08-22
Packaged: 2018-02-14 07:00:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2182329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatesDate/pseuds/NatesDate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set just before 3.2. The ladies of the Grid get pissed at the George which leads to Harry taking a drunk Ruth home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Spooks and its characters are the property of Kudos and the BBC. I'm simply playing dress up with them.
> 
> A/N: This idea started out as pure silliness but the execution of such ended up more serious. As for a plot, there isn't one. If you feel a plot is critical to a story, look away now. Additional disclaimer information is located at the end of the chapter.

_1 October, 2004_

"Fancy a night at the George?" Sam asked Zoe after lunch. "I just had a horrible lunch date and could use a girl's night out."

"God yes. A girl's night sounds lovely. What was wrong with your lunch date?" Zoe lowered her voice as others started to drift onto the Grid.

"A friend set us up and we'd been emailing back and forth to get to know each other. At the end of lunch, which I thought had been going well, he tells me that it was nice to meet me but he can't stomach my accent."

"Men are such prats," Zoe exclaimed, turning a few heads.

"Well that's not news," Ruth added as she approached Zoe's desk.

Sam turned to Ruth. "Then you need to join us tonight at the George. We can swap stories and drink drinks with little pink umbrellas."

"That's the best idea I've heard all week. Hopefully things stay quiet for the next few hours." Ruth and Sam each walked back to their desks and settled in for the afternoon.

At 5:00, Zoe decided she needed to get away from the Grid. Danny and Adam were comparing notes about good places to wine and dine women and Malcolm was trying to engage anyone who would listen about a new eavesdropping device he was developing. She cleared off her desk, locked the drawers, and walked over to Sam's desk.

"It's time to go. We've been here long enough. I'll meet you downstairs in five minutes." Zoe walked over to Ruth's desk and repeated the message.

Ruth wasn't used to leaving the Grid so early, and certainly not when there were still tasks on her to do list, but having been in Section D for a year now, she felt it wasn't unreasonable for her to leave early on one day. Besides, she didn't have any plans for the weekend and knew she'd probably be at work tomorrow anyway. Ruth had also gotten in the habit of stopping at Harry's office to say goodbye before she left, but as she glanced towards his office she could see that he was on the phone. Her attention was drawn away by the arrival of Sam at her desk.

"Ruth, you're still joining us right?" Sam asked.

With a quick glance at Harry's office to see that he was still on the phone, Ruth nodded her head. "Yes, I'm locking everything up right now." She quickly stashed her working files into a deep desk drawer, locked the desk and logged off her computer. After grabbing her coat and purse, she and Sam exited through the pods.

* * *

 

Adam and Danny were so engrossed in their conversation that they took no notice of the women's departure. It wasn't until Malcolm and Colin interrupted them to ask where Ruth had gone that they looked around and noticed that the three women were not only not there, but that their desks had been cleaned off and the coats gone.

"Sorry, it looks like the ladies have taken their leave of us," Adam replied.

Danny was quiet for a moment. "Come to think of it, I did see the three of them chatting earlier today. Maybe they made plans to go out after work. Anyone interested in stopping by the George to see if they're there and having a drink?"

"I'm afraid I won't be able to join you this evening as I have plans with my mother. Goodnight," Malcolm said before turning back towards the Forgery Suite as Harry exited his office and made his way over to Adam, Colin, and Danny.

"I'm in. It's been a while since I've been out," Colin added as Harry joined the group.

"I'll come. Fiona is out of the country and Wes is at his grandparents. Might as well spend my night drinking with you instead of sitting home alone." Turning his attention to Harry he asked, "Care to join us at the George? We're not sure if that's where the ladies have disappeared to but we'll find out."

Harry glanced around the Grid, taking in the empty desks. "It's been a while, but we should be glad for the quiet. I still have a few things to wrap up, but I'll meet you down there once I'm done."

The guys cleaned off their desks, shut down their computers, and grabbed their jackets before exiting the pods and heading to the George.

* * *

 

"To us!"

Ruth, Sam, and Zoe each threw back a shot and then slammed the glass on the table.

"Vodka. How Russian of us," Zoe commented as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"If I'm going to be conscious for more than the next hour I need to switch to something else. Shall I get a bottle of wine?" Ruth asked.

Sam leaned forward so she could see Ruth on the other side of Zoe. "Make it three; a bottle for each of us. I'll have a red."

Ruth looked to Zoe to see her nodding in agreement. "Yes, but make mine white."

Ruth stood and moved over to the bar, which wasn't yet packed with civil servants from nearby government offices. She placed her order with the barman, who simply raised an eyebrow at her before gathering three bottles and three glasses and placing them on a serving tray for her to take back to the table.

As Ruth returned to the table, Sam was telling Zoe about her blind date over lunch.

"He was perfectly nice until the end when he told me that he just couldn't handle my Scottish accent," Sam said. "Considering we'd been chatting via email and I specifically told him that I was from Edinburgh, why the hell would he agree to go out with me if he doesn't like Scottish accents?"

"Arsehole is what he is," added Zoe. "I mean, I'm not asking for his life story on the first date, but at least be honest. Not like the last jerk who failed to mention his wife." Zoe finished her first glass of wine and poured herself another. "What about you, Ruth, any recent horror stories with men?"

"Well, considering I haven't been on a date since I moved to London, no. As if that's not depressing enough," Ruth took a long drink of her wine, "my last boyfriend dumped me after a year and a half because, in his words, I wasn't sexy enough. Not sure why it took him 18 months to figure that out." Ruth polished off her glass of wine and poured herself another.

"As I said before, arsehole," Zoe finished her glass of wine. "Too bad there aren't any good ones at Five. That just makes things easier."

Sam spoke up. "I don't know about that. I went a couple of times with a guy who worked at Whitehall and he knew I worked for Five, so I thought it would be easier, but he kept badgering me for details about ops. It was stuff I wouldn't have known anyway, but I started to feel like he was going out with me simply to get information."

"As I said before, arsehole. The whole lot of them." Zoe took another drink of wine as Sam and Ruth followed suit.

* * *

 

"So Adam, you like it here in Section D? Or would you prefer to be back with the cowboys of Six?" Adam, Colin, and Danny had just walked out the front door of Thames House and were making the short walk to the George.

Adam laughed. "I do like Section D. It's a nice change of pace, plus I get to work with the legendary Harry Pearce." He turned to Colin and Danny with what he hoped was a suitably serious face.

Both took one look at Adam's face and started laughing, which in turn caused Adam to laugh as well. "We're glad to have you," Danny said. "When is Tom supposed to return from his visit to Lisa Joyce?"

Colin piped in, "In the next day or so. Sounds like he'd wrapped up what he needed to take care of."

The three men fell silent as the remembered the op just over two months ago that caused Tom to shoot Harry and then disappear and be presumed dead.

"Any idea why the ladies disappeared without a word? They must have left together; that's the only reason I can think of as to why Ruth wasn't still on the Grid," asked Danny.

"Sam had a lunch date; she mentioned it while getting tea this morning but she didn't look too happy this afternoon. Maybe it didn't go well," Colin added.

"In other words, if they're at the George, who knows what we will find," Adam surmised.

"Damn," Danny added.

* * *

 

"We need music. Who has change?" Sam asked as the levels in the bottles dropped dangerously low.

"I do, I've always got it," Ruth said as she dug out her coin purse. The alcohol was taking its toll on her coordination, but eventually she fished out a handful of coins and handed them over to Sam, who took the two steps over to the jukebox.

"Any requests? Not sure this thing's got any music from this century, but there has to be something good," Sam said as she perused the offerings. They could hardly hear Sam muttering as she went through the available choices. "Take That, no. Shamen, no. Madonna, no. Duran Duran, no. Ohh, I haven't heard this one in ages." Sam dropped the coins in before pressing two buttons. The juke box started to hum as it located the correct record and Sam stumbled back to her seat.

Zoe recognized the tune straight away. "God Sam, did you have to go for depressing?"

Ruth, who took a bit longer to recognize the song, nodded in agreement. "It's depressing, but easy to sing."

And with that, all three started to sing along.

 _When you make love, do you look in the mirror? Who do you think of?_ _Does he look like me? Do you tell lies? And say that it's forever?_

None of the women noticed the door of the George open seconds later as Danny, Adam, and Colin arrived. It didn't take them long to locate their co-workers and they moved in that direction immediately. As they passed the bar, Richard the barman stopped them.

"They've been hitting it pretty hard since they arrived. It may not be long before they need to go home, you understand. I'll bring you your usual." The men nodded and continued over to the table. They stood there for a moment before Zoe realized someone had stopped near the table. When Zoe turned her attention to the guys, Sam and Ruth followed her gaze, but the three women kept singing.

_I don't wanna touch you too much baby 'Cos making love to you might drive me crazy I know you think that love is the way you make it So I don't wanna be there when you decide to break it No!_

Danny pointed at the empty chairs on the other side of the table and Zoe waved her hand as if to say, 'help yourself.'

The men took in the overturned shot glasses, the nearly empty wine bottles, and their co-workers singing along to Def Leppard. As the song finished, and with it the impromptu sing along, Danny decided to be brave. "So, what's the occasion for this little gathering?"

The women shared a smile. "Do you really want to know?" asked Sam.

The three guys exchanged a look and then Adam turned back to women before tentatively nodding.

Zoe spoke up. "Just commiserating about the fact that men can be such total wankers." All three women fixed their stares on the men at their table, as if challenging them to refute Zoe's statement.

Colin settled for a slight nod while Adam took a drink of his cider. Danny may have been an excellent interrogator, but when the tables were turned on him, especially by these three women, he didn't know what to say. "Sorry to hear that. Sam, lunch date didn't go well?"

As Sam launched into a lengthy explanation, Harry turned up at the table and grabbing an empty chair, sat on the end between Ruth and Colin. The look from Ruth confused him so he turned to Colin. "What's going on?"

Colin moved closer to Harry but didn't take his eyes off Sam. "Sam had a bad blind lunch date and apparently the three women have concurred that men are 'total wankers'."

"Ah. Lucky us, then," Harry said as he sipped his drink.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry maneuvered a drunken Ruth into his car, ensuring that all extremities were safely tucked inside before shutting the door and moving to the driver's side. Before easing out of the parking space he glanced over at Ruth and wondered whether it was best to take her home or to his place. Best he could tell, she was going to have one hell of a hangover, but nothing that sleep, paracetamol, and time wouldn't cure. As he put the car in drive, he decided to take her to her home, even though the drive was longer.

Ruth appeared to be passed out in the passenger seat, so Harry turned the radio on to a classical station, keeping the volume low. A few minutes later as the car hit an unexpected bump in the road, Ruth was startled awake.

"Where am I?" she said, her words slurring slightly as she glanced out the window.

"I'm taking you home."

"Why?"

Something in the tone of her voice caught him off guard and as he stopped at the light, he looked over at her to find a most attractive pout on her face.

"Ruth, you were drinking with Sam and Zoe and were starting to get a little, shall we say, loud." The light turned green and Harry started moving forward.

"Not our fault. If men weren't so mean to us, we wouldn't have to sing."

"I agree that men shouldn't be mean to you, but the rest of the crowd at the George had enough of the performance."

"What happened to Soe and Zam?"

Harry glanced at her quickly. "I think you mean Sam and Zoe."

"Whatever."

"Danny is taking Zoe home and Adam and Colin are seeing that Sam makes it home."

"Why aren't we going to your house?"

"Because I'm taking you home. To your house."

Ruth mumbled in her seat.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"Just another man who doesn't want to invite me back to his place."

Harry let out a sigh, knowing that he couldn't expect her to rationale in her drunken state, so he chose not to answer. At the next stoplight, he watched her lean forward to play with the stereo knobs.

"Trying to put me to sleep with that stuff? Find something good," said Ruth as she randomly pushed buttons and turned knobs.

Harry tried not to cringe as all sorts of loud and obnoxious sounds filled his car. To call it music would have been generous in his opinion, but he decided it was best to just let her be.

"Ooh, I love this song!"

A somewhat familiar tune filled the car and Ruth started to sing along, missing some of the words due to the song's faster pace and her inebriation.

"A little less conversation, a little more action please, all this aggravation ain't satisfactionin' me," sang Ruth as she turned herself in the seat to face Harry.

Harry had to smile at Ruth. The alcohol had certainly lowered her inhibitions and he was seeing a new side to her, though he suspected she might also be embarrassed if she remembered her actions in the morning. Vowing to himself that none of this would be repeated to her or anyone else, he moved his eyes back to the road as Ruth continued to sing. Despite her inebriation Harry discovered that she had a lovely voice.

"Close your mouth and open up your heart and baby, satisfy me, satisfy me baby," she sang. His attention was on the road and the upcoming turn so he didn't notice her right hand moving across the dark car and landing on his upper thigh.

Harry was busy watching the car in front of him weave back and forth and debating whether to call 999 to deal with the idiot when the sudden feeling of Ruth's hand near his crotch caught him off guard. He hit the brakes and yelped in surprise as he tried to grab her hand and move it away.

"What are you doing?"

Ruth laughed as she moved her hand from his thigh to his abdomen and then south. "I'm trying to see if you could satisfy me, baby," she purred while Harry was trying to keep his eyes on the road. His efforts to stop the movement of her hand were unsuccessful. She continued to laugh at his efforts even after he maneuvered the car to the side of the road and shifted into park.

"Ruth, please. Let me drive you home. We've only a short distance to go," Harry implored.

"Harry," she started, her lips pursed in a pout, "I only wanted to explore; see what you're hiding under those sexy suits. I overheard a few women in the Archive last week talking about your legendary skills when it comes to honey traps and it wasn't just your charm they were referring to." Ruth renewed her effort to explore Harry's body, this time using both hands, which Harry quickly stopped.

"Ruth, to misquote Mr. Twain, reports of my sexual adventures are greatly exaggerated," he said as he held her hands.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't believe you, Harry. There's always some truth to rumours. Besides, I'm your analyst. I need all the information so I can properly assess the situation." She leaned closer in to Harry as she tried once again to explore him with her hands.

Harry had to give her credit. Even in her inebriated state she was persistent. He knew that her home was only a few blocks away but he couldn't let her grope him while he drove, mostly because he was afraid of his body's reaction to her ministrations, which could lead to an incredibly awkward situation.

"Ruth, there's only a few blocks until we arrive at your home. Will you please let me finish the drive? I don't want to crash because I'm distracted by you," he said, hoping that would pacify her.

Ruth smiled in response. "I distract you? Hmm, well that's something." She pulled her hands back. "I promise to behave myself," she said as she primly turned to face forward in her seat with her hands in her lap.

Harry let out a breath of relief. Quickly checking his mirrors, he pulled away from the kerb and made the turn to Ruth's home.

Two minutes later he pulled into a space behind her car. Switching off the ignition he looked over to see that Ruth had once again dozed off. Her face was turned towards him and her lips slightly parted. He watched her sleep and wondered if her earlier antics were just the effects of the alcohol in her system and the song lyrics putting ideas in her head or whether the alcohol was serving as liquid courage for something she was otherwise afraid to voice.

He'd be lying if he said he never wondered what it would be like to get to know her on a more personal level. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind, especially to him, and while it irritated him initially, most recently he found that he'd come to want her opinion. She'd supported him when he was afraid that Tom had gone rogue and her initiative with the taxi drivers had saved a situation that had spiraled out of control.

The man he was 20 years prior would have bedded her and not worried about the consequences of his actions until there was something to worry about and even then his charm was usually sufficient to diffuse the situation. But then he became Section Chief, then Section Head, and not worrying about those consequences was no longer an option. It was simply easier to not become romantically involved with anyone from the Grid. Honestly, it hadn't been that difficult. There hadn't been anyone he'd been interested in getting to know better and then Ruth Evershed crossed his path. She was easily the best candidate for the analyst position though he found her to be a bit quirky and unorthodox, but definitely not his type. Or so he'd thought.

Ruth started to stir and Harry didn't want to be caught staring. He put his hand on her shoulder and gently shook it. "Ruth? Wake up. We're at your house."

She opened her eyes and looked up at him through her lashes. "Mmm. Time to wake up?" she asked.

Harry smiled. "Yes, time to wake up. Do you have your keys?"

Ruth yawned and stretched her arms out in front of her. "In my bag," she mumbled before slouching back in her seat. Harry took this as permission to find the keys himself. Once located, he slung the bag over his shoulder and exited the vehicle, gently closing the door. Walking around to the other side, he opened the door and shook Ruth's arm once again to wake her.

"Just wanna sleep," she mumbled.

"In a few minutes you can do that but first we need to get you in the house."

"Carry me."

Harry smiled as he found himself wishing that he could. "You can walk. I'll help. Come on, up we go," he said.

It wasn't easy but thankfully the walk to her front door didn't require the navigation of steps. He was glad a few minutes later when Ruth was settled on the sofa with a glass of water he asked her to drink.

"Why are you being nice to me?"

He frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you give me a ride home?"

"You had a lot to drink, Ruth. I couldn't just put you in a taxi and send you home. You're part of my team and I wanted to make sure you arrived home safe."

"So if you had to take Sam home, would you be sitting with her? Or would you have left already?"

Harry's lips turned up in a slight smile. "Touche." Ruth continued to hold his eyes, expecting more of an answer. "I don't have a good answer, Ruth. Would you like me to leave?"

"No," she responded quickly. "This might be the only chance I get to have you in my house."

They both blushed at her statement.

"Why would you want me at your house? We're on the Grid together for 10 plus hours a day. Most of my staff is happy to escape from me come five o'clock."

Ruth smiled in response. "You really don't know, do you?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," he replied as he watched her eyes skim over him.

"I wasn't kidding when I said you are a legend around Thames House. Every woman knows that you are the master when it comes to seducing women and having worked near you for the past year, I believe it. How can you not know how sexy you are? You ooze charm and sex appeal, Harry."

Harry shook his head. "Ruth, I was serious before about those rumours. I admit that many years ago there was some basis for those stories, but I haven't been involved in anything for near on 15 years that comes close to those stories, believe me."

Ruth placed her hand on Harry's arm. "If you say so, I believe you."

"I don't think you do," he said, enjoying the feelings created now that her hand was moving up and down his arm.

"Well, the chance of a woman like me having a man like you in my home is virtually nil, so I should enjoy it while I can."

"What do you mean a woman like you? You mean a woman that's young, vibrant, beautiful, and wickedly smart? Why wouldn't men be clamoring for a chance to spend time you?"

"I thought I was the one who was drunk."

Harry wasn't following along.

"Harry, if you aren't drunk, then you're delusional. Young? I'm 34, not exactly fresh-faced. Vibrant? If I make it home before seven in the evening and get a chance to do some reading before bed I consider it a good night. A wild night would include a glass of wine while I read. I've lived in London for over a year now and other than the occasional work excursion to the George, I've not been out with anyone, for any kind of event – since I've lived here. Vibrant I am not. I'm not even going to dignify beautiful with a response but yes, I do consider myself smart. Not sure about the wickedly part, but one out of four isn't bad, right?"

Harry watched her as she spoke and had an overwhelming urge to kiss her.

"Men clamor over glamourous and confident women like Zoe, not..." Her words were cut off by Harry's lips on hers. The alcohol in her system delayed her reaction somewhat but once her body caught up to what was happening, she responded with vigour. Breaking apart moments later, they watched one another, both breathless from the experience.

"Wow..." Ruth started as Harry apologized.

"Sorry? Was it that bad?" she asked to which Harry responded by sliding his hand to the back of her neck, threading his fingers into her hair and pulling her close for another kiss. This one lasted longer and ended with both his hands in her hair and her arms wrapped around his neck.

Neither said anything as the kiss ended and Ruth leaned forward to rest her forehead against Harry's. Despite the intimate nature of their positions, Ruth felt confident enough to give voice to the question in her head.

"Why did you apologise?" she asked quietly.

"Because I didn't ask you first."

"Oh."

"Was it okay that I kissed you?"

"Mmm, yes, very okay."

Harry smiled at her response and leaned back against the sofa. He wrapped his arm around Ruth and pulled her next to him so she could lay her head on his shoulder. Before long, both fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "A Little Less Conversation" was originally recorded by Elvis Presley and written by Mac Davis and Billy Strange. The version imagined for this story is the remix version released in 2002 and credited to "Elvis vs. JXL."


	3. Chapter 3

Harry woke up, his body telling him he needed to use the loo. The clock on the nightstand said it was 4.19 and he listened for any other noises in the house before rising and moving quietly down the hall.

It was only a couple of hours ago that he and Ruth woke up, still on the sofa. Harry guided Ruth up to her bedroom and standing on the threshold, she asked him to stay. He stumbled over his words until she clarified that he should stay in the guest room due to the late hour. He was about to say he was fine to drive when his body betrayed him with a yawn and he agreed to her suggestion.

After finishing his business, he was making the return trip when he noticed the door to Ruth's room wasn't closed all the way. Although he had no reason to think otherwise, he decided to make sure she was sleeping fine; that's the reason he gave himself, anyway. Placing his left hand on the door and wrapping the fingers around the edge, he gently pushed the door open until it was wide enough for him to take a step closer and maneuver his head through the opening to see around the door.

A streetlight shone indirectly through the two windows, providing just enough light for him to see the room clearly. She was lying on her side, her arms wrapped around the pillow on which her head rested. The bed covers were at her waist and one foot had escaped to rest atop the covers. He was barely able to control his reaction to the sight of Ruth in bed with her naked back towards him.

For a brief moment he let his imagination get the best of him and he wondered what it would be like to slip under those covers and rest his body next to hers; the skin of his chest resting against her back while his hand explored the rest of her and his face was buried in her hair.

He imagined the noises she would make as he pleasured her with his hands, his lips, and his tongue. What he didn't need to imagine was the reaction of a certain body part to seeing her like this. What was it about this woman that made him react so powerfully?

Taking a step back, he pulled out of her room and closed the door before walking back to the spare room. He crawled back into bed but knew he'd get very little sleep the rest of the night. His body was too wired from seeing Ruth and the images of them together, naked in bed, were still flooding his mind.

Their conversation and actions from the previous hours told him that Ruth was attracted to him. Was he attracted to her? Or was he just needing to scratch an itch and she a convenient opportunity?

He let his mind wander back to the few times when he allowed a woman to scratch that itch. His last two relationships were with women he'd known through work, though neither worked for Five. Ten years ago it was Liza from Six and two years before that it was Polly from the Home Office. He knew both women for several months before becoming involved with either of them and while there was an immediate physical attraction to them on his part there was never any desire to get to know them beyond the basics. Each affair was short lived; he was only with each woman a few times before things ended poorly. Eventually he found it easier to just avoid romantic relationships altogether.

If Ruth were to tell him she was leaving, going to work elsewhere, he knows that he would do whatever it would take to convince her to stay. The thought of working on the Grid with her no longer there was something he didn't want to face. And yet, he was quickly coming to realize that his desire for her wasn't simply professional, but was personal as well. She stirred something in him that he hadn't felt in a long time. The idea of a romantic relationship, a true personal relationship that was based on something far beyond sex wasn't anything he had entertained in years.

Harry decided to test the waters and see if Ruth was interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with him. Despite his strong physical reaction to her earlier, Harry feared that adding sex to the mix too soon could be disastrous, especially given that he was her boss.

* * *

 

Harry was seated in the kitchen drinking coffee when Ruth walked into the room. Her hair was sticking up, she was wearing a dressing gown that was hanging open to reveal a nightshirt that showed far more of her legs than her skirts ever did, and her hand was covering a yawn.

"Good morning," Harry greeted with a small smile.

"Morning," Ruth mumbled as she sat at the table opposite him.

"Can I get you some coffee? Or something else? Though considering this is your house I'm not sure what you have..." Harry trailed off as he stood and moved to the counter.

"Coffee's fine. Not sure I'm up to eating food," Ruth said as she folded her arms on the table and rested her head.

"I can make toast. Might be a good idea to get something in your stomach."

"Okay" was her muffled reply.

Considering that she was usually on the Grid as early as he was most mornings, he assumed her grogginess was an effect of her drinking last night. He quietly made her a cup of coffee with sugar and set it before her. She lifted her head, wrapped her hands around the mug, and inhaled the scent of coffee.

"No milk," she noted.

"Didn't think that would be the best idea for your stomach."

"Good point," she conceded before sipping at the steaming beverage.

Half an hour later, after stilted conversation and a breakfast of plain toast and scrambled eggs for Ruth, she finally seemed to be awake. They each refilled their mugs and settled on the sofa, Ruth curling her legs under her.

"Did you sleep okay? I hope you found everything you needed."

"I did sleep well. Thank you for letting me stay. I think I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow."

A slight smile graced Ruth's face. "I'm sorry I was such a mess last night, but thanks for getting me home safely."

"You're welcome." Harry sipped his coffee and mentally debated his next comment before deciding it would be all right. "By the way, you have a lovely singing voice."

Ruth just managed not to spill her coffee in surprise at Harry's statement. "Oh, we were singing in the pub, weren't we? Not sure I'm going to be able to look Richard in the eye next time I visit the George."

"Well yes, but I was referring to your singing in the car on the way home," he clarified.

Ruth narrowed her eyes at him. "What was I singing?"

Harry grinned at her reaction. "Just some Elvis tune you found on the radio. You managed to keep up with the words fairly well given your drunken state."

By this time Ruth had set her mug down and buried her face in her hands. "Oh, how embarrassing. I'm sorry, Harry; I promise this isn't something I normally do."

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about. As I said, you're a good singer."

Ruth lifted her head and let her hands drop to her lap. "Well, I must admit that Elvis isn't a part of my normal repertoire," she said with a laugh. "Did I do anything else that was embarrassing?"

Harry hesitated a second too long.

"I did! What did I do?"

Harry shook his head. "Really, Ruth, it wasn't anything. At the pub you, Sam, and Zoe were singing but that was it."

Ruth looked at him skeptically. "And what about after the pub? You said I was singing in the car. Did I do anything else?" She reached out and reflexively put her hand on his arm and a sense of déjà vu washed over her.

Harry looked at her hand on his arm and was reminded that a similar action last night led to a fiery kiss. He looked back at Ruth and noticed the strange expression float across her face.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"I have a strange sense that I've done this before. Sat on this sofa with my hand on your arm and…" Her voice trailed off as the image of she and Harry kissing surfaced in her mind, causing her to blush.

He didn't want to embarrass her but he decided it might be worth it if he could kiss her again. "You're blushing. Why?" he asked as innocently as he could.

Ruth's eyes had dropped to her hand, which was still on Harry's arm. She bit her lip as she contemplated telling him the truth.

Harry reached over and lifted her chin with his finger. "Did you remember our kiss?"

She finally met his eyes and gave the question in her head a voice. "That really happened?" she whispered.

Harry nodded. "Twice. May I remind you?"

Ruth nodded without thinking. Harry's hands gently cupped her face as he moved closer. Ruth's eyes closed involuntarily and then the image in her mind was real. Harry was kissing her; sweetly but with a little something extra that she knew could make her lose control in the best possible way very quickly.

Breaking apart, neither spoke for a moment as they caught their breath.

"Can I ask how that happened? Last night, I mean?"

"Something to do with you telling me you weren't attractive to men. I said you were beautiful and smart and a few other things that I can't remember at the moment and you tried to give me reasons as to why none of those things could be true and all I wanted to do while you were talking was to kiss you, so I did. And then we kissed again and then fell asleep here on the sofa."

Ruth nodded her head. "I vaguely remember that. And you stayed; you didn't go home."

"Well, it was late and I was tired, so your offer to let me use the guest room was welcome."

Harry scooted himself a bit closer to Ruth and let his arm rest on the back of the sofa, his fingers running through her hair and delicately touching the back of her neck.

"I want to ask you something but you don't have to answer right away." Harry took a deep breath, knowing what he planned to say could make things awkward between them. "May I take you out to dinner?"

Ruth surprised him by not looking away and watching him as though trying to find the real meaning behind his question.

"Regardless of your answer, I want you to know that I didn't kiss you because I thought it would quickly lead to something that would undoubtedly be quite satisfying." Ruth continued to watch him and with a tilt of her head indicated that he should go on.

"I kissed you because I truly wanted to know what it would feel like to kiss the woman that I can't get out of my mind; to kiss the woman who has made me willing to throw out my rules about dating coworkers because the thought of not exploring a romance with her is something I don't want to consider. But most of all, I wanted to know what it would be like to put my arms around you and..."

Harry's answer was cut off by the sudden placement of Ruth's lips against his and he wasted no time in response. His right hand held her head close to his while his left reached out and settled around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

By the time they broke apart for air, Ruth was straddling Harry. They both glanced down and blushed at the suggestive sight of Ruth's bare thighs resting alongside Harry's trouser-clad legs, her nightshirt having risen up to her hips as she sat on him. Ruth drew her dressing gown closed so it covered much of her upper legs but she didn't move from Harry's lap.

"Is that a yes to dinner?"

Ruth laughed at the question. She heard the hesitation in his voice and realized that he was nervous.

"You daft man. Of course that's a yes. And now I know what you meant about the other person talking and all you want to do is kiss them. I just couldn't stop myself," she said with a smile, leaning down for another kiss.

At its conclusion Harry wrapped his arms around Ruth and rested his head against her upper chest, listening to her heart beat and reveling in the feeling of being so close to her.

"What Elvis song did I sing? I don't really know any of his music," Ruth noted.

Harry released his hold on her enough so he could look at her. "Umm, it was modern and didn't sound anything like Elvis. The words were something like, 'less conversation, more action' which seemed to inspire you to try to grope me," he said. His face broke out into a grin as he watched the deep blush of red quickly spread across her face and neck.

She surprised him by trying to climb off his lap, which he quickly stopped by putting his arms around her waist. "Ruth, its fine. No harm done and nothing truly inappropriate happened. I simply wanted to be honest with you about what happened."

Ruth had buried her face in her hands, obviously still embarrassed about what he'd told her.

"Ruth, look at me."

It was a few moments before she lifted herself to be sitting upright, though she was very aware of the positions of their bodies.

"In the future, it might be best if you save your groping for when we are at one another's home. That way I can reciprocate with some groping of my own."

There was a beat before both of them broke out into smiles and Ruth leaning in for a quick kiss. "That only seems fair." She tried, as gracefully as possible, to climb off Harry's lap and managed to do so without ending in a heap on the floor. "I know I've already said yes to dinner, but would you like to spend the day together? Visit a museum or go for a long drive?"

"I would like that. I do need to go home to shower and change, though."

"I'm going to take a shower, so why don't you head home and do what you need to do and come back when you're ready? No rush and then we'll see what we're in the mood for," she suggested.

Harry stood and kissed her once again. "I'm not sure I'll ever tire of being able to do that. But yes, excellent suggestion." He walked to the front hall and slipped on his shoes before putting on his jacket and gathering his wallet and keys. "And think about what you want to do once I return. Whether it's conversation or action, I leave that up to you," he said as he walked out the door with a smile.

**Author's Note:**

> "Love Bites" was recorded by Def Leppard and included on the album "Hysteria." It was written by Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Steve Clark, Rick Savage, and Robert John "Mutt" Lange.


End file.
